The Spring Festival

[Silky Gooseness]

SPRINGFEST!

Welcome one and all to the Springtime Festival! All throughout Rohan the air is full of promise: lambs are being born, it’s time to plant the potatoes and carrots and peas, winter bedding is being shaken out and put away, and the mares are coming into season.

In Edoras, the Rohirrim are celebrating the coming of spring and the leaving of winter in the best of ways: by holding the Spring Festival. A chance for all to gather together, meet old friends and make new acquaintances, trade for crops and items, share food, and discuss who’s getting coupled up (both for their horses, and for their humans!)

The bunting is out and the Maypole is up, so come join the fair and festivities!

ACTIVITIES AND AREAS

THE MAYPOLE stands in the centre of the field. Eight feet tall, it is set deeply into the ground and many ribbons have been tied onto the top for the dancers to weave. At the very top has been set an apple.

THE FOOD BENCHES are set in a wide square about the Maypole. On the East side is THE BAR, with its own set of benches in front of it, where you may order food and drink, or you can request table service if you wish. There is a fire pit (closely fenced about and guarded by Sorrin the cook) on which a roast piglet is dripping. You may godmode Sorrin.

MENU: (although honestly, feel free to make stuff up if there’s something you desperately want which isn’t on here. Except Bilewitdox, because we want people to have a GOOD time)

Roast piglet / Roast piglet onna bun / Roast vegetables / Leek and potato pie / Vegetable broth

DRINKS:
Mead / Golden ale / Red wine / Apple juice / Milk

PUDDINGS:
Lemon curd pudding / Candied nuts / Fresh fruit in cream

STALLS

Beyond the food trestles and benches are set out small temporary stores for anyone who wishes to sell their wares and trade. Imagination is your limit - feel free to make up what you would like to interact with. But what is there… All shopkeepers may be godmoded at your discretion but please don’t kill anyone.

HABERDASHERY, where ribbons and buttons and thread are being sold, as well as hair ornaments for young ladies. Run by Mistress Hasfod.

LEATHERWORK: fresh saddles, bridles, belts, boots, hats, full outfits…what? Run by Girton.

CUTLER: Spoons! Daggers! Fire guards! Other items made of metal! Run by Sabetha

TOMBOLA LUCKY DIP: Reach into the barrel!! Pull out an item (or a ball with a number on)! What will you win?? Run by Lucky Jack!

GUESS THE NUMBER: How many sweets are in the jar? Closest guess wins the jar! Run by Eadwin

PIG-WEIGHING: So you pick up the greased pig, and you guess how much it weighs, and closest guess wins the pig!! Or maybe another prize of your own choosing if for some weird reason you don’t want a pig.

FIELDS

Here the horses are kept - there’s space enough for people to try the horses out, and also for mares to be introduced to stallions if the right deal is struck.

RULES: Don’t godmode without permission, but do GM shop keeps and bar servers etc as needed ~ Canon characters first come first served ~ CWs for anything graphic ~ posts will count towards the overall SpringFest Championship

[Ercassie]

Unalmis Raxëlilta

Before this day he had believed that he knew what a festival looked like. But the Gondorian had never seen anything like this before. A tree trunk streaming with ribbons, with an apple for a top-hat, was holding court over a veritable spread of strange sights, and smells, and sounds. And even Unalmis was taken aback when broached with the offer of trying to win himself a greased pig ! He was both sorry and relieved that he had not brought Hattie along with him, because the dog would have been all over the open fire pits and enticing refreshments in an instant.

It was easy to separate from the small party he’d travelled with, for even out-of-towners would not stand out in such a tide of entertainment. For every colour that the day had thrown in fistfuls at the sky, there was a new rush of music, laughter, merriment. A grown man strode past Nal, tooting his way through a long whistle. A woman dared him to thrust his hand inside a barrel and see what he might find ! There were so many animals and noise, he literally was astounded by all of the opportunity that came at him at once. And, away from home, escaped from those who thought they needed to keep an eye on him, the young Ranger fell into a grin and marvelled at the foreign words painted on bright banners.

So. This was Rohan. It was different .. and whatever else it might prove to be, there was only one way to find out.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Xyler

Growing up in a small village at the base of the mountains, and having never really set foot very far from that village until the last few months, Xyler had never had a chance to come to any sort of festival. Now that he had come to seek training with the healers in Edoras, he had seen many new things and it had taken him a while to adjust to the idea of living alone, and having an entire house all to himself. It was a bit incredible, really. And it was exciting, seeing new things and going places he'd never been to before. So, when the young man heard about a festival going on, he was very eager to come and check it out and see what sort of things happened at a festival. It sounded like fun, in the very least, and so he had come. The reality of what he had anticipated was far more exciting than anything he might have imagined, and pretty soon he felt a little lost among all the other festival-goers, and halfway let himself simply be swept along in the tide of people. There were so many bright colors, and distractions, that it was easy to get lost in it all.

At some point, it occurred to him to worry about pickpockets. Being acquainted with one, the young man was well aware of how easily one could lose every bit of money in their pockets if the wrong person happened to bump against you. But then, he reminded himself, he really had little worth taking. A couple of coins, in case he wanted a snack or something, and that was all, except for a few medical supplies he carried in a small pouch. Any pickpockets who targeted him would be rather disappointed, he thought with a slight smile.

One of the vendors tried to grab his attention, trying to offer him a pig, and he grinned but shook his head, trying to move onward and see the other sights. Then, through the noise of the crowd, a cry grabbed the young healer's attention and he spun on the spot to see a young girl clutching her knee, having fallen down. Pushing past a couple of people, he knelt down by her. "Hi, did you hurt yourself?" He smiled at her, wondering where her parents were.
"I slipped," She sniffled.
"Don't worry. I'm a healer, can I take a look?" He waited for her to take her hands away, and inspected the scrape. "Not too bad, let's get it cleaned up alright?"

A few minutes later he was finishing up, and helped her stand up. "There, better?" He smiled and put his supplies away.
"Yes! Thank you!" She smiled and hurried off looking much happier.
Xyler smiled, glad to see that she was alright. Then he turned... right into someone else. "OH! I'm sorry!" Stumbling back a little, he dropped his pouch, some of the contents strewing onto the ground.

[Dimcairien Luiniel]

Éomund wandered into the field, wondering what this springtime festival was all about. He had never been able to attend one before since as a child, they lived too far away from Edoras and in his small town of Sceornbeorg there was rarely time for such festivities. Even though it had been well over a year since he had left home to join the Cavalry, he still hadn't been able to attend the springtime festival due to being posted out in the eastern areas of Rohan until recently. But this year, he was posted in Edoras, along with many of the other cavalry members and just so happened to be off duty this evening, so he had decided to venture over to the festivities and see what was going on.

Upon arrival, he did not spot anyone he recognized, which slightly unnerved him. He never liked being at large parties without someone he knew. Even though he had overcome much of his shyness over the last year or so, (Cavalry training had required him to step into many an uncomfortable situation), he was still extremely awkward and tended to find his way to the corner of parties more often than not.

But, first things were first, Éomund thought as his stomach rumbled. And he headed towards the delightful smell of roast piglet.

[Ercassie]

Unalmis Raxëlilta

There was more than one cry out from amongst the churning crowd. Most were gleeful or excited, so that the other type caught notice for the very opposite reason. Because they were had no place here. The sun was shining, the smiles were contagious (not literally), and the farthest thought of pickpockets never entered the Gondorian’s mind. It would take a brave heart for anyone to put his hand in Unalmis’s pockets, for all that. And if once they survived the ordeal of who knew what might be found lurking there, they likely never would be so foolish again !

But for now his entire thought was not upon children crying, or the prospect of being robbed. The day was far too fair for any of that. It was the maypole. He honestly could not figure out the meaning of the thing. Having come from a city where a particular tree was held as sacred, the young man could not help but wonder at the significance of this one. Staring up, and not at all where he was going, he thus did not react in time to avoid the kindly healer who collided with him.

“I’m Unalmis” he explained soon after, offering a hand out briefly toward the young (he assumed) Rohir. “So, what do you think, Sarry ?” Brown eyes could barely steal away from the local custom that dwarfed the rest of the showground. “Is the thing of it to work out how to get the apple down ?” he wondered, aloud. There was little time in wasting any time after all. Even in marvelling over what strange names they had here. That would have been rude .. “Oh here, are these yours ? Sorry Sarry”

Nal broke his gaze down low to assist Xyler in retrieving up his belongings. Turning over the items of medical aid in his hand before very long, he offered what he’d gathered politely to the owner. Before turning back to raise an inquisitive eyebrow.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Xyler

For a moment, he stared at the stranger in bafflement. Sarry? Then it dawned on him, and the teen laughed at the mistake. "No... not 'Sarry'...I said 'sorry'." He grinned at the young man, who appeared to be a few years older than himself. "I was apologizing for bumping into you, not giving my name." Accepting the items from the one who introduced himself as Unalmis, he smiled in amusement. Unalmis was friendly enough, at least. "My name is Xyler, if you'd like to address me correctly." He added, with a grin, then glanced over to see what Unalmis was talking about. What did he think about what? "The apple?" He searched around before finally spotting the apple up there on top of the maypole, and realized that must be what he meant.

"I'm not really sure, to be honest," He shrugged, watching for a moment. "I've never seen one of those before. I guess you haven't either, huh?" He tilted his head thoughtfully. "It's pretty, though, with all the ribbons, but I can't really figure any real purpose for it." After a moment's consideration, he hazarded a guess, "You're from Gondor, aren't you, Unalmis?" Since his village wasn't that far of a journey from Belfalas, he'd met Gondorians plenty of times before. He could speak their language just as well as Rohirrim, which made it much easier if he ever needed to treat any Gondorian patients.

[Rillewen]

Erynneth


The trip to Rohan had seemed quite long, and while Eryn was thrilled to have been allowed to come along, and very excited to have some adventure at last, and travel, she was glad when they finally reached their destination. It was even more exciting to realize they had come at a time when there was some sort of festival going on!

It was understandable, knowing her father, that he declined going to see the festival. For a bit, the girl worried that he might not let her go, but to her great relief, he agreed that she could go... so long as she and Nal stayed together. That was completely fine with Eryn, and in no time they two had set off to see the spring festival, although it wasn't long before the two agreed to split up and simply not tell Duinion about it. She wasn't sure where her ranger friend had gone off to by now, but she'd simply make sure to find him again before they both returned to where their fathers were staying. For now, though, she was eager to see all the sights and explore everything!

Passing by a stall, someone called out trying to get her attention, advertising brightly colored ribbons and hair accessories. Eryn smiled and shook her head, moving on, glancing around. Many of the signs and things were in Rohirrim, understandably.. but the Gondorian girl couldn't understand a lot of it. Regardless, she found her way into a booth where some daggers were sold, and took a moment to examine some of those. She only had a small amount of spending money, however, so buying something like that wasn't really within her budget, so she moved on. Maybe a treat would be more affordable, she thought, and headed toward where the smell of food wafted. Standing on tiptoe to try and figure out what sort of things were available, but again.. it was written in Rohirric, as they apparently hadn't expected any visitors from Gondor to show up at this thing. Feeling a bit lost and out of place, the girl balanced on tiptoe, trying to get a look from the back of the line, to see what sort of things were available, wondering if there was anything she wanted, and could afford.

[Silky Gooseness]

Eadflæda

She had dressed for Festival in a linen gown, a slightly darker shade of blue than the sky - which was burnished brightness itself, the clouds only faint wisps travelling quickly with the wind. Eadflæda thoughtfully adjusted the drape of the garment, wrapping like tulip petals about her frame, and tried on at least three belts before making a dramatic noise of annoyance, which absolutely nobody heard. She settled on plaited leather, tied it as fetchingly as possible and then artfully tousled her golden braid to make herself look interesting and windswept. Then she strutted out.

Almost immediately her attention was drawn to the stalls- a girl could never have enough items both shiny and made of leather - but the scent of roasting piglet carried on the breeze and caught Eadflæda’s attention. There was Éomund, looking slightly awkward (as usual). Still, although she barely knew him, something (probably the smell of pork crackling, the fat crisping in savoury goodness, spiked with salt and pepper) turned her steps that way.

“Hello, Éomund,” she said, casually. “Fancy a slice?”

[Ercassie]

Unalmis Raxëlilta
@Rillewen

For a moment Nal wondered if the Rohir could not understand him. There was a look about the fairer boy’s face which could not hide confusion. But it turned out that in fact he was the one who had misunderstood the Rohir. And as Xyler received his belongings in exchange for his true name, the Gondorian met him in a laugh. Not at his actual name which, to be honest, sounded just as unusual as the incorrect one. But likely the other lad felt so of Nal’s name. So fair was fair. At the fayre. Well, festival.

“Xyler it is, then,” he allowed, before gesturing towards the unattainable fruit, just as the other youth caught sight of it for himself. It was rather a disappointment to learn that the stranger couldn’t enlighten him about the meaning of the strange set up. It was a relief though that they both spoke the common tongue easily enough. He’d heard most of the Rohirrim they encountered so far speak some of it at least (maybe out of kindness) to the obvious visitors; but still, names on stores and inns, and really names in general here seemed to be all decked out in their ancient language. It would certainly make exploring more of an adventure ! A lot of names in Gondor of course were still set out in Sindarin, enough that they taught it in schools. So clearly the old northern language of the Horsemasters had been similarly preserved here.

Another term of adventure would be attempting to climb this branch-less tree trunk. But the proximity of Erynneth caught Nal’s eye for a moment, and he let his gaze follow the younger girl across the field. Just so he could be sure she was no worse off for their separating off to explore. There seemed to be a few other people around the foodstall where she was, but no cause to be seen for any concern.

“Gondor, yes,” he admitted, and then considered Xyler again. “And you’re a healer ?” he guessed from what he’d seen thus far. “But are you not from here, then ?” he wondered, rather bluntly. There was absolutely no cause to assume that the young man was in fact a Rohir at all, of course. Xyler might be visiting for the fair, just like himself.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Xyler

"Apprentice healer, actually," Xyler admitted. Although he'd done plenty of stuff while he was training under his grandmother, he had only just begun his apprenticeship under Healer Sigrid. He took a moment to ensure that all his things were dusted off and secured in his bag before putting it away, looking back up at Unalmis.

Having grown up almost right on the border between Gondor and Rohan, Xyler had picked up a mixture of both accents. Those in Gondor said he spoke with a Rohir accent, while those on Rohan said he spoke with a Gondorian accent. It was somewhere in between, yet he could easily communicate with anyone who spoke either language. So, hearing Unalmis make a guess that he was not from here, Xyler couldn't help but grin. "I sort of grew up on the border, between Rohan and Gondor. Slightly more on the Rohan side though..." He explained. "I'm new around here. Never been very far away from home until I came to Edoras not long ago. So I'm quite eager for a little adventure and exploration. All this is very new to me... we never had anything like this in my hometown." He said with a gesture around the festival.

Following his new acquaintance's gaze, Xyler briefly thought he saw his friend whom he called Shortcake, before realizing that girl's hair wasn't as vividly red, nor was she as short as 'Shortcake'. Nor did she look quite Rohirrim, and he made a mental guess that it might be Nal's younger sister, or someone he was protective of, at least. Nothing in particular about Unalmis' appearance gave him any clues as to his profession, so he decided to ask, "What do you do, Unalmis? At home, I mean, in Gondor." He paused, then added, "Has the festival here become such big news in Gondor that you came all this way just to see it?" He wondered, half in jest, but half curious as well, if that was indeed what had drawn them here.

[Pele Alarion]

Hadassa

At first, Hadassa had not been that eager to explore the spring festival because she was saving what she could from the payment for her cavalry duties in hopes of being able to afford a home - even if it was just a little hut somewhere on a tiny bit of land. It was probably an unachievable dream, seeing that she was able to set aside only a little. But eventually she had decided that a little bit of fun would not be too much amiss; she would not spend too much money, after all.

Dressed in a simple dress in green and grey hues, secured with a simple leather belt around her waist, the young woman made her way towards the festival grounds, while still trying to collect her unruly long black hair into some sort of neater looking ponytail. She struggled for a good long while until she was satisfied with the end result, and by that time she had already reached the outskirts of the field.

Weaving her way in and out among people, Hadassa explored the available options, until she settled for a mug of mead first. She took the first sip of the drink, and savoured its rather sweet taste with half-closed eyes, and then moved off again in search of some activity or company. Only that many people knew her, so she still had to be on the lookout for anyone who'd want to chase her off or even attack her just because she looked like a Dunlending.

[Ercassie]

Unalmis Raxëlilta
@Rillewen @Pele Alarion

“I think we are all apprentices, in a way,” the Gondorian mused in response to Xyler’s admission. “I mean, take healing for example, there must always be new and better ways that people are learning to heal others. And in all sorts of new situations. You could be the best sort of healer in Rohan, maybe been learning how to heal the sorts of wounds you see here all the time, and then you’d still be all at sea if you were faced with injuries .. ermm at sea.” A shrug shaped all this theorising into the light-hearted randomness that it was. It was far too nice a day to spend in thinking overly hard. “I hope I never know everything I need to. Or there will be nothing more to look forward to. And if you really want adventure and exploration .. let’s find something to queue for.”

It was rather nice to learn that Edoras was new and shiny in the eyes of the other young man as well. There were those who really loved where they lived, and there were those who did not ever really appreciate it. But seeing a place for the first time was always the best time to enjoy it. And if you did anything wrong, well, people usually understood. Because you couldn’t be expected to know !

He had no idea which queue he had walked into, and really didn’t mind what it turned out to be. “Have a guess what I do, if you like,” he grinned, mysteriously at Xyler as people tended not to believe him if he said he was a Ranger anyway and he was curious what people might suppose he did. “My father has come to Edoras on business. And since it is a long journey which would be dull on his own, some of us came along for a change of scenery,” he gave that much away, to give some answer out of courtesy and to also not tell all to people he had only just met. He had made that mistake before now.


As the queue he was stood in fell away and he found himself at it’s head, Unalmis turned over the first coin he took out of his pocket, not sure how the currency worked here. ‘Lucky Jack’ announced that would get him three turns on the terrific tombola. So, Nal exchanged a look with Xyler, glanced for Eryn but finding her still caught up at the foodstall, he couldn’t catch her attention. He wasn’t surprised. The enticing aromas from the quarter were beginning to make him hungry now.

“Here. Want a try at the tombola ?” he caught a young woman (Hadassa) close by, touching her arm briefly to get her attention. “We get three go’s. One,” he pointed to himself, “Two,” he signified Xyler and then tilted his head, curiously at the latest stranger. “And you,” he offered. She looked nervous. Maybe it was her first time here too. Orrr .. maybe she knew what that strange ribbon tree was all about, and might share the knowledge if they were kind to her !

‘Lucky Jack’ was getting rather more loud now as he made a big deal of his first customers and so Unalmis rolled up his sleeve, and caught the eye of the tombola-man, as he dared thrust his hand into a small hole in the barrel. Drawing out a small ball, he was almost disappointed, but when ‘Jack’ saw the number painted on the ball, he beckoned Unalmis over, and handed him a small box with a wink. A woman who must have been working with ‘Jack’ started gesturing with her hands, to show off that the customer had won something.

“Your turn,” the Ranger made way for Xyler to have a try, and so that he might privately take a moment to see what was in the small box which chance had just delivered into his hand.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Xyler

Xyler couldn't help smiling at Nal's comments about apprenticeship. "That's a good way of looking at it," He agreed. "Because yes, there is always more to learn." With a slight, teasing smirk, he added, "You better be carfeful, you sound a little like my grandma, saying things like that." Following Unalmis into one of the lines, he tried to stand up a little taller to see over the others, to find out what they were in line for, but gave up after a moment.

Amused by Unalmis' invitation to guess at what he does, Xyler tilted his head as he took a moment to scrutinize the other young man, thoughtful. He'd seen a variety of folks, who all did various occupations, and while he wasn't as skilled as his grandmother at matching calluses, scars, and other clues with a specific occupation, he knew a little about that. Unalmis had what looked like some small sort of calluses on the fingertips of one hand, and his clothes suggested that maybe he traveled a bit. "Perhaps a bard?" He made a guess, with a shrug. "With a stringed instrument, I would further guess." He added, with a slight motion to indicate Nal's fingers.

Even as his attention was upon Unalmis' hands, he was surprised to see him turn over a rather valuable coin to the man running the tombola booth. Xyler paused and glanced toward the signs telling how much it cost, and frowned. There were many kinds of thieves, he'd learned... some broke into houses, some picked pockets, and others ran scams or tricked people into turning over their money... while others simply accepted much more money than they were meant to accept, without saying a word. He barely paid attention as Unalmis was gathering a third person to join them, as he was focused on "Jack". "Uh, sir? You owe my friend some change back," He reminded the man, trying to stay polite, but he was ignored as the man was busy calling out to try and drum up more business. Unalmis seemed caught up selecting his number from the box, and the man was either pretending not to hear Xyler, or not to understand him. Xyler wasn't about to let that slide, and switched to Rohirric, raising his voice enough to force him to take notice. "Hey, you! My friend paid you a silver coin," He angrily pointed to the sign listing the price to play. "You'd better give him what he's owed, or I shall report you for thievery and swindling, is that what you want?"

The man hesitated, looking a bit uncomfortable, worried about how many people may have overheard that threat. "My friend, there's no need for threats.. I apologize, I merely got carried away with the excitement and everything," He assured Xyler, replying in Rohirric as well, and looking nervous as he hastily counted out the coins needed to make up the difference and gave them over to Xyler. "Count it if you like," He grumbled, huffing. Xyler did take a quick count, assuring himself it was all there, then turned to Nal as the other was informing him that it was his turn now. "You should pay a little more attention, Unalmis," He said with a somewhat amused smile, and held out the coins to the Gondorian. "You overpaid by quite a bit."

Having turned over the coins to their rightful owner, he went to the box with a shrug, not sure he was terribly interested in any of the prizes here, but Unalmis had paid for three tries, so he might as well. Reaching in, he snatched a numbered ball quickly and showed it to the woman working at the booth, trading it in for a box. What could be in it? He turned it over in his hands for a moment, half-reluctant to open it. Who knows what it might hold... he decided to wait and see what Unalmis' box might contain before he chanced to look into his.

[Pele Alarion]

@Ercassie , @Rillewen
Hadassa

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a touch on her arm, and wheeled around to face Unalmis. Her alarm was all for nothing though, it seemed, and he only offered her a chance to join him and Xyler (was this the lad she had seen in infirmary and had helped her?) in tombola fun.

"Well... fine. But..." she watched the disagreements over the payment and rolled her eyes. Money seemed to hold sway over this salesman; though then again many people liked money. Not that she didn't, but not enough to cheat. She earned her coin by hard work, or so she hoped at least. "Don't really want to use up what you have paid for," she objected, but curiosity got the best of her, and seeing that both guys had gotten something, she decided to do it as well.

Hadassa approached the barrel suspiciously as if it might hold something scary, and carefully lowered her arm into it, to the very bottom. She felt things touching her arm, most likely other balls, and then some other square things with pretty sharp corners. And... her hand touched something soft and furry. "What's that?" she exclaimed, and her fingers tightened around the unusually shaped prize in comparison with everything else in that barrel. As she pulled her arm out again, it turned out that she had ended up having caught a small tabby kitten.

"Why? Putting animals in the barrel? And this kitty is so small too!" she gave Jack an upset look, as she gently petted the quietly meowing soft ball of fur. And what was she to do with a cat? She was not sure she would be allowed to keep it in her room.

[Ercassie]

Unalmis Raxëlilta
@Rillewen @Pele Alarion

The casual remark had left more of a smile on Unalmis than he even realised, for his own grandmother had done much of the raising of him, and he could imagine she would be quite proud to hear Xyler’s observation. “Well, Grandmothers are very wise,” the Gondorian agreed. “Or so mine always told me.”

The matriarch of their family had certainly been wise enough to set out her grandson in hues of grey and dull blue clothes. The blend of colours hid a multitude of dirt and stains, which had no doubt been her goal; and stood him out not at all in a crowd he might require to duck into, which had proven quite worthwhile many times. It was even now his go to, when the occasion did not call for duty or uniform. His entire casual get up was a fairly archetypal disguise which would have suited for most traders that he’d seen back in the city. And after a long journey with dusty roads and more than a few camp-outs under stars, he by now wore much of the world that he’d just walked through, over whatever he’d started out in. The Rohir was smart enough to note Nal's calloused fingers, but could hardly be blamed for being a little wide of the mark in his guess.

“I don’t mind singing as it turns out, but I doubt that I could make a living out of it,” Nal had admitted. “Unless it were from people offering to pay me to be quiet,” he added, with a small laugh which suggested recall of just such a thing occurring. “They do tend to tell me I should practice more though, with a bow.”

He preferred knives and swords than the bow; there was a family heirloom to consider after all. Not that it was not long lost, or he was in any way ready to handle that one. But since he already knew that Xyler was an apprentice healer, the visitor set on guessing what their more recent acquaintance (Hadassa) might be about. She was as dark haired as he was himself, so perhaps his hopes of finding an authentic local Rohir at the fayre were growing more and more unlikely; or else his uneducated expectations of the Rohirrim in general were a little naive. A mug of some sort of drink had claimed the young woman’s one hand, and she had all but leapt into the air when he reached for the other. Her accent he noted was different again from Xyler, but she spoke the Common well enough that he could easily understand her, and hoped it was mutual. At any rate, she agreed to go along with the tombola, without any sort of protest that she might have been working at one of the stalls here herself. So that told him the starts of something.

A dispute had broken out before she ever got to take her turn, and Unalmis was ashamed to realise he had no idea what Xyler and Jack were debating in the not-so-common tongue. And then he recalled that Xyler had asked for his change back. Well, that was certainly one way to learn which coins were the more valued. And they were real too. Which meant the Rohir he'd gotten them from in the last transaction since arriving, had not been a crook, though this one was dubious.

“I don’t know. I think I got more for my money’s worth than I might have hoped for.” he replied back to Hadassa unfazed. A small glimpse into the box he’d won kept the Gondorian from taking his eyes to find the woman though as he spoke. His remark though was genuine. Having seen a literal stranger stand up for him, and heard some Rohirric, and potentially ensured that ‘Lucky Jack’ would be more decent to his customers for the rest of the day, it seemed that he was getting a good round show of what Rohan was like. Accepting the change back from Xyler, Unalmis thanked him, while the woman took her turn with the tombola. "Did you win anything interesting ?" he began to ask his recent saviour. The woman's ‘prize’ though stole them from that conversation all too soon.

“Is that a .. cat ?” he stared, astonished and was at least relieved to see he was not the only one. The woman seemed equally surprised. “Maybe she didn’t want to wait or pay, but wriggled her way in to find a prize of her own ?” he laughed, and slid the small box he’d gained into a pocket during the excitement. It was really a very good job he had not brought the dog ! He'd thought there might be chaos with the horses. But a kitten ? That would have been as enticing for Hattie as the smell of food was becoming to the Ranger.

"Any recommendations what is good to eat at a place like this ?" he wondered aloud to the pair of apparent locals. An errant eye sought out that apple, still on top of the maypole, curiously.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie @Pele Alarion

Xyler

"They are, indeed," Xyler agreed with a smile, in reference to Unalmis' statements about grandmothers being wise. His was certainly that, and while it was nice to have gone out on his own, he did miss her and hoped to get a chance to go visit before much more time had passed. He'd never been away from home for so long, before, so it still seemed strange to have his own place, near the infirmary. With his prize box in hand, the young healer turned his attention to the other two, and was surprised to see the woman pull out a live kitten! Xyler laughed lightly, especially seeing the startled looks on the booth worker's faces.

"Looks like you got a bonus," He told Hadassa with a grin. "I imagine the kitty wasn't meant to be in there, but it may just be the best prize you could've gotten. Unless you don't care for cats, of course." Reaching a finger out toward the kitten, he offered to let it sniff him before he gently scratched by its ear for a moment before stepping back. Then, it dawned on him where he had seen her before. "How is your arm, by the way?" He asked, remembering her from his first day at the infirmary. Her name escaped him, though he couldn't quite recall if he'd ever actually learned it, but then, he wouldn't blame her if she didn't remember him, either. She'd been in a state of pain at the time he was helping the healer fix up her dislocated shoulder, and he had served a minor part in that.

Remembering that Unalmis had asked a question brought his attention back to him, and Xyler remembered the box in his hands. "Oh, I don't know what I got." He glanced at it. "Might be a snake, for all I know," He added with a sidelong glance at the less-than-honest man running the booth. "I guess I might as well take a look." He didn't truly expect it to be a snake, so when he opened the box, he couldn't help laughing as he saw a toy wooden snake coiled up inside. He was still laughing as he showed it off with great amusement to the other two. The irony of his statement had in fact, come back to bite him, it seemed.

He was still chuckling with amusement as he caught Unalmis' next inquiry. Xyler could certainly help with that question. "Food? Well, that depends on what sort you're after." He grinned. "Let's see what's on the menu? I can tell you plenty of things you might find in Rohan, but I haven't taken a look at what's available here." Turning back to Hadassa, he smiled again, "You're welcome to join us if you like," He extended the invitation to her. He had a suspicion she might be a stranger to the area, and therefore, likely didn't know anyone. But then again, perhaps she did have people. "Although please, don't feel obligated, if you have other things you'd rather do." Leaving the invitation to be taken or left, he then headed toward the food areas, so he might take a look at what was available, and therefore make appropriate recommendations. "Oh, leek and potato pie is always a good option," He announced to whoever may have followed him, upon seeing that listed. "Or you could get a roast piglet, that's always good. Or if you're looking for sweets...well, everything's pretty good.. candied nuts are delicious, but more for light snacking."

Erynneth


Having stood back and watched for a little while, Eryn watched several people wander past after leaving the food stalls, and tried to get a look at the sort of things they came away with. There seemed to be a bit of variety but she noticed which things seemed most popular, though everything looked delicious. The girl wasn't quite decided yet whether she wanted something sweet or more savory, or perhaps both. She considered how much longer it would likely be before she and Nal returned to their respective fathers, and decided she might prefer to have something a bit more solid, and then see about a sweet.

Having come to a conclusion, she finally took a place in the line, moving gradually forward as those ahead of her concluded their business with the vendors. She took a glance around as she waited for her turn, catching a glimpse of Unalmis at one point but he was looking the other way, playing one of the games, and she wasn't surprised to see that he had already found a friend or two. Smiling slightly, she glanced around and tried to decide what she'd like to try next. Maybe she'd take a look at the horses, not that she could possibly afford one of those, but it would be nice to look. One day, maybe, she'd have a horse of her own. That would be fun. She moved forward another few steps, and fidgeted with the coin purse fastened to her belt. Just another few people ahead of her, now.

Taking another glance around, and trying to remember to be aware of her surroundings like her father would do, Eryn watched some children playing nearby, and then looked another way and watched a few people at one of the game stalls. Wondering if Nal was still busy at the game thing he'd been at when last she saw him, Eryn glanced toward that way, and instead saw him wandering in her direction now, apparently having had the same thought of getting food. She couldn't help a smile appearing on her face at the sight of him, and waved to get his attention and call him over. Since they were technically here together, she saw no reason why they should have to wait separately in the line, after all. "Nal! Come join me?" She called out to him, once it seemed she'd gotten his attention.

[Pele Alarion]

@Ercassie , @Rillewen

Hadassa

"Well, the kitten might not have been meant to be a prize, but definitely is for me. Just not sure both of us won't be thrown out of the room if it becomes known..." Hadassa replied to both lads at once and touched her nose to the little furry face when she held up the kitten to take one more look. With the new pet snuggled comfortably and safely in the crook of her arm, she paid attention to the matter of food.

She glanced over to where the food was set out and did not reply for a moment. "Badger burgers or something... standard," she replied distractedly, and then turned to Xyler. "The arm is fine; just was a bit incapacitated for a week or so." She glanced at his prize with a small grin. "At least the snake is not a live one or I might run away screaming." Most likely she would not have even if it was, but it didn't hurt to exaggerate a bit.

"If you don't mind me joining..." she then said, happy to have a couple of people to hang out with in the crowd of strangers. As they followed their noses - and eyes - towards the food, a girl from the line waved and called out at them. "Nal? Is that your name?" she asked, turning towards Unalmis, since they still hadn't made any proper introductions.

[Ercassie]

Unalmis Raxëlilta
@Rillewen @Pele Alarion

“Well. You are either a seer, or some kind of a magician !” Unalmis retrieved his jaw from where it had fallen open, as Xyler’s prediction turned, against all likelihood, to be true. The Gondorian could not help but glance back toward ‘Lucky Jack’ however, with a suspicious glance. But the vendor and his aide were already set upon a new prospective customer, and the matter of the snake did not seem to have caused offence to the young Rohir, even if they had made a purposeful selection of his winnings. Even now Xyler was reuniting, it would seem, with their other new acquaintance. She seemed happy with her unexpected prize as well.

“A whole piglet ?” he astounded though, as the recommendations began for food. “But you will have to tell me, is a badger good eating ? I have never heard of the creature being regarded as food .. until now.” Which was not to say the young man would turn his nose up at local delicacies. An inquisitive and somewhat reckless tendency had assured that he was open to new experiences and had come to Rohan of course largely to learn more about their customs and lifestyle. Neighbours, allies, it seemed that Gondor and Rohan ought do all they could to strengthen their affiliation, in light of their mutual victory in the recent war. It would certainly not do to insult one another, nor hold to their differences, but rather to seek out their similarities.

“Of course, you are very welcome,” he assured Hadassa, just as Eryn waved them over to join the queue that she was stood in. There were only a few people lined now in front of her, but none stood yet behind her, so Unalmis led the way over to join her with a glad wave. “Sometimes,” he replied with a glance back at Hadassa. “By friends at least. But if you would count me so, I’ll have to learn how to call you too ?” he cued her to become better known to one another as well.

“Eryn” the Gondorian came to his friend with a grin. “It seems we are thinking along the same lines. I have been hearing some very exciting recommendations of what is good to eat around here. But first, I must show you.” Revealing the small wooden box from his pocket, the Gondorian let it creep open under his friend’s eyes. “Do you remember when I was telling you about the wooden birdcall whistles that my father used to show me ?” The prize won of the tombola was made clear to Eryn as just such an object. “This is not one of my father’s but it is of the same type. Would you like to try it out ?” he had thought she would be intrigued in the item. For she had been so interested when he had been talking about the subject, on the very journey to Rohan in fact.

Whatever kind of ‘luck’ Jack might have possessed, his tombola was clearly a source of very surprising coincidences. Taking the small wooden whistle to his lips, Nal gave a demonstration before he handed it to Eryn for her turn. “The Yellowhammer,” he smiled. “I did not think to find something from home so far from there. But this is a day that continues to amaze me.”

With any luck the food would soon do likewise. In the best sort of way.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie @Pele Alarion

Xyler

"Badger burgers?" Xyler was a little amused to hear Hadassa mention that idea. Unalmis, or Nal,'s response furthered that amusement. "I doubt you would have, in Gondor," He agreed. Having grown up so near the border, he was familiar with at least a few of both Gondor and Rohir's customs, including their ideas of food.

"Is a badger good eating?" the other asked.

Xyler considered that for a moment as he walked along with the other two, slipping his wooden snake into a pocket. Perhaps he'd find a use for it later.. but most likely it would end up sitting on the porch to hopefully frighten away mice. "That really depends on how it's prepared, and if the cook knows what they're doing, I suppose," He answered at last. He'd had badger meat before that didn't taste good at all, was tough and had a horribly strong unpleasant smell that seemed to linger for days. Other times, when prepared properly, it was delicious and tasted about like most other red meats, and was very delicate and tender.*

"If you would try some of our local fare, then badger burgers are a very good start in such a quest." He grinned in a slightly mischievous manner. "If you're daring enough." He added, with an implication that it might be a daring venture for the Gondorian. He could draw his own conclusions, if he did indeed try the dish. "And what of you," He asked Hadassa, curious. She did not seem quite Gondorian, yet he wasn't sure exactly from where she might hail. "Have you ever tried it?"

As he spoke, they came upon the girl that Nal had been glancing at the whole time since he had met him. By listening, Xyler concluded her name to be Eryn. And further, that she was not his sister, judging by Nal's mention of his father.. not their father, unless they were half siblings. But he had a suspicion that was not the case, based on the smile she wore upon seeing Nal approach. "Hello," Xyler greeted Nal's friend with a smile.

*going by conflicting results found on Google

Erynneth


It appeared that Nal had accumulated a couple of new friends, Eryn observed, when she noticed that the other two who were walking with him were actually with him, and not happened to be walking the same direction. "Hello!" She greeted the strangers, only to have her attention diverted to whatever Nal wanted to show her. "What is it?" She asked, curious as he opened up a wooden box. The object within was mysterious to her, until he asked if she recalled the whistles he had spoken of along their journey. "Oh! Yes, is that..?" And with some excitement, she watched Nal demonstrate the bird call. "Oh, that sounds just like a real bird!" She was quite impressed. Taking the offered whistle, she looked it over curiously for a moment. "Where did you get it? At that game you were playing over there?" She motioned toward the tombola booth, revealing she had spotted him over there, earlier. "I've just been standing here trying to make sense of the signs and figure out what the menu says," She laughed. "But I can't read Rohirric."

Turning her attention back to the whistle, she hesitated slightly. Nal made it look so easy, she wondered how well she would do with the whistle. The first try was not so successful as Nal's had been, but she kept trying until it sounded about like what he had done, and grinned. "Do you think the birds would be fooled?" She joked, and offered his whistle back to him. "I didn't try any of the games, but I looked at the horses earlier." She mentioned. "Obviously, I can't afford those. So I have nothing really to show for my time here." She shrugged but didn't mind too much. It had been fun, just looking at everything and watching the festivities.

"Well, the day isn't over yet," Xyler commented. "Perhaps you'll end up with some sort of souvenir before you return home." He doubted the girl would have much interest in the wooden snake, or he might have offered it. "I'm Xyler by the way." He moved forward along with the line, getting closer to the food stall. "Luckily, I happen to know a little Rohirric," He joked, "so I can help with reading the menu." He added with a grin.

"Thanks, it's nice to meet you, Xyler." Eryn smiled back, and extended her smile to the woman with them, "And you as well.. I'm Eryn. Ohh your kitten is adorable!" She added, catching sight of the furball in her arms. "What's its name?" She wondered, adoring all manner of cute animals. "Nal, it's a good thing we left Hattie back at camp," She added, thinking how the excitable dog would have frightened the little kitty. "How long is this festival thingy lasting? Perhaps we can come back another day, if it lasts more than just today?"

"Actually, I'm not sure," Xyler admitted. "It's my first time coming to one of these. But I'd be happy to show you all around Edoras, if you like, anytime during your stay." He mentioned. "That includes you too," he added to Hadassa. "Though, you might be more familiar with the city than I am, for I have no idea how long you've lived here. I actually come from a little village at the base of the White Mountains, not far from the border with Gondor."

[Ercassie]

Unalmis Raxëlilta
with Xyler, Hadassa and Erynneth
@Rillewen @Pele Alarion

“You must know that you are daring me to suggest you try some wild dish of Gondor in return ?” Unalmis laughed, as Xyler jested with him. He had supposed that the badger meat must have been a tease until the Rohir looked to be so sincere in explaining. “Badger burgers is it then,” he shrugged, accepting the challenge, having threatened his own to come.

Eryn meanwhile seemed as keen to try the whistle as she was to have them join her. The Gondorian watched her efforts with obvious approval. She was always ready to try anything, which was no doubt part of the reason they got along so well. He’d thrown a few glances her way just to be safe during the afternoon, after what had happened to Iole and Cali at a busy fayreground once back home. Thankfully, although this event was further afield, it seemed that there was no cause for real concern.

“That is the one,” he agreed when the young girl put eyes toward the tombola. “Although I am not entirely sure if I recommend it. I mean, if you end up with a little kitten to take home as well, Hattie will be having a meal of her own before you ever get there. Our dog,” he gave up as an explanation for their new friends.

“I can’t read it either, though I will happily take your place in the queue if Xyler will help me order some of these legendary badger burgers,” he suggested to Eryn. “Then you can have a chance to shop for a bridle or something before the festival dries up, and food here will be waiting by the time you’ve looked about a bit. Keep it,” he closed her fingers over the small wooden whistle. “You can practice with it then as much as you like.” He joked before calling out even before she had chance to leave. “Or, Eryn .. if something happens or you lose us .. just whistle. Yes ?”

Xyler’s offer to guide them around was very generous and Nal was fairly sure his father would be glad to have them so occupied while he conducted his business in town. So clearly they had the opportunity. “Do you have the time ?” he had to check with the Rohir though. “I mean, its very kind of you but if you have work ? Or maybe you can show us where you work .. I did some healer training recently with the Captain and I wonder how it may be different here. Did you leave your village so you could become a healer here ?”

They probably had different types of herbs that grew in Rohan, compared to back home, he supposed. And almost didn’t notice when the food vendor called them to notice reaching the front of the queue.

[Pele Alarion]

Hadassa

"Well, I have eaten badger. Just a normal meat if prepared properly," Hadassa shrugged as if it was nothing unusual. "But suppose other meats are more readily available."

Then Unalmis reminded her that she had joined the group without introducing herself properly, while she had gathered the names of others in the course of conversation. "Name's Hadassa. Mine, not the kitten's," she clarified and flashed a grin, as she shifted the little cat more comfortably in the crook of her arm so she could also use her other hand for collecting some food. "Haven't thought of a name yet for the cat, though I suppose I should."

Hadassa listened to the conversation for a bit and then added in: "I can also show you around a bit, though I am the most familiar with cavalry grounds. Villages are the way to go, though! Coming from one too, in fact." She did not expand on her origins, thinking that since they did not see her as an enemy and did not even ask, it might not be important.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie @Pele Alarion

|
Erynneth ..... | ...... Xyler......


Surprised, Eryn smiled back at Nal as she took another look at the whistle. "Thanks!" She shouldn't be so surprised by his generosity, of course, since he was always nice like that. But she couldn't help smiling happily at him, then down at the whistle in her hand. Having heard a great deal about things like this, it was exciting to now have one of her own. She practiced a couple more times on the bird call whistle before slipping it into her pocket, thinking. Maybe she could try to find something to give to him, but she wasn't sure what. The talk of badger burgers, which apparently was a common food around here, then caught her attention, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"Badger?" Eryn's eyes widened slightly, and she glanced at Xyler, then Hadassa, and back at Nal, curious how that had come up. "What does a badger look like?" She wondered, curious if any of them had ever seen one, aside from the meat. Hadassa spoke as if it was good tasting, and she was curious, now. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hadassa, and your little friend, whatever its name is." She grinned. "I hope you find the perfect name. He's the cutest little kitty," She was a little envious, having never had a kitten before, but she did have Hattie to play with, and that was plenty of fun.

Xyler grinned. "I'll accept that dare," He answered Nal, a bit amused. For, he had a suspicion there wasn't a lot the other could offer him he was not already familiar with. To Eryn, he smiled and answered, "I've only seen dead ones, but I've heard they're incredibly mean. You don't want to mess with a live one, especially a cornered one. I've heard of badgers ripping a dog apart, and I've also heard of them biting horse's legs." After a brief consideration, he added, "I wouldn't be surprised if that's why we Rohirrim began eating them, actually." Seeing Eryn's eyes widen further, and he continued, "But, as Hadassa says, they provide some tasty meat, if prepared properly."

"Well, if you're all going to have one, then I will too." Eryn decided. Not only was she curious, but she certainly didn't want to appear like a chicken in front of all the others, especially Nal. "I hope Hattie doesn't come across one of those things, though." She frowned, worried by the idea of the dog getting excited in some game of chase and ending up seriously wounded, or worse.

Nal's suggestion to go exploring a little more left her thinking. Did she want to stay with them, or venture off? She hadn't brought much money, but it seemed that they had won some nice prizes at the tombola thing, and she might have enough for that. Then again, Nal's suggestion about a bridle was intriguing. "What would I do with a bridle? I haven't got a horse," She pointed out. Then, upon further reflection, added, "I suppose I could always save it back for when I can get a horse... and then I'd have a Rohirric bridle for it. But... I don't know," She shrugged, thinking. It might take a little bit for the vendor to cook the meat, she supposed, so there should be time. "I suppose I'll look around, and see what there is." She decided. "I'll be over that way," She waved toward where the horses were being shown off to prospective buyers, and bounced off eagerly to see what she could find that was within her price range.

Xyler grinned slightly, and turned to inform the vendor they would like four of the badger burgers, then stepped off to the side to wait for the food. "I should have time," He answered Nal. "I do have to work, of course, but not all day. Where are you staying?" He wondered. "I could come and find you and Eryn when I've finished my work at the infirmary tomorrow. Or if you're interested, perhaps I could persuade Healer Sigrid to allow a tour for you, or even a bit of training, so you might see for yourself if there's anything different in the ways we do things here." He grinned. "Either way, I'm sure we can figure something out. This place is very intriguing," He glanced at Hadassa, a bit surprised. "I haven't even seen the Cavalry grounds, I'm sure that must be fascinating. Are you in the cavalry, ma'am?" He wasn't sure if he had learned anything about her during her stay in the infirmary. There had been so much else going on, and other things to learn.

"Yes, actually." He answered Nal's latest question with a nod. "I left home.. not very long ago in fact, to come here and further my education in the healing arts." He smiled, thinking of how surprised he had been to discover he would have an entire small house of his own. "I studied under my grandmother for.. all my life, really, helping her and learning all she could teach me. Or a lot, anyway. Then, she said I ought to get some more 'official' learning, so she sent me to come here and become an apprentice healer." He shrugged. "If they hadn't accepted me here, I might have gone to Minas Tirith to try my luck, but thankfully, I was accepted here. It's strange, though, being so far from home," He felt a bit homesick at times, missing his grandmother, but it was also exciting, being out on his own and everything. "Is your home village near, or far?" He wondered of Hadassa, smiling faintly.

[Ercassie]

Unalmis Raxëlilta
with Xyler, Hadassa and Erynneth
@Rillewen @Pele Alarion

“Well it is a pleasure to meet you, Hadassa,” the Gondorian returned her grin with his own. “If you are worried, as you say, about sneaking the little cat home, maybe give it a name that it will not sound strange for people to hear you saying often ? You don’t want to have people walking in on you and hear you saying something that you can’t explain. Trust me.” He was speaking from experience of course, but a cat seemed likely to be easier to hide than Hattie was. People had started giving him very strange looks when they saw the teethmarks in his boots.

Their guides seemed to be quite knowledgeable on the subject of badgers, both as fauna and food. And though he was distracted by thinking quite what might equal the meal, back home, Unalmis did nod as Eryn agreed on her plan to explore. The girl had been quite vocal on her interest of horses, and he honestly did not know whether she would or even should buy a bridle today. But he had been keen to shop for swords long before he could either afford one or convince his father that he ought to be allowed one. That was where being such good friends with a smith’s family had come in very useful. At the least the girl might get a good handle on the different options and their value here. Eryn had said she had nothing yet to show for her time here, and that simply wouldn't do at all. Not if he had any say on the matter.

Xyler saved him from having to try to order from the menu, which left Nal both relieved and a little remorseful. He would have to ask them to teach him to say .. something .. in Rohirric while they were in town. “We are camping out, actually,” he admitted. “The old men are not really house trained at all,” he joked. Although to be fair, it had been a rather unanimous decision in the end, and the dog had been the reason everybody cited, even if they each had other motives they did not need to admit.

“It might be easiest if we come and meet you at the infirmary at a time you’ll be finishing up with work, unless that’s a bother ?” he pondered of the Rohir. “I dare say any glimpse of how you save lives would be no less thrilling than the cavalry grounds, though of course, we’d really have to concede to see both, to make a proper judgement on that.” Turning to Hadassa, Nal’s eyes followed Xyler’s; wide with intrigue. “You are going to make Eryn’s year, if you have horse-related stories,” he let the unannounced Dunlending know. “She is wild for horses.”


“I was poisoned in a village once,” the Gondorian shrugged as the conversation edged toward that subject. “And ambushed in .. another .. ” He took the awkward moment to check after Eryn’s direction, and then shrugged. “But I am sure those occasions were very unusual and anyway, no one died. Well ..” he cut off, rather than continue that line of thought. “It can be just as dangerous in Minas Tirith,” seemed the better way to divert conversation. “Which, if you ever do visit, some time, I shall have to repay your kindness and show you around. And definitely find you something ‘wonderful’ to eat there ..” he exclaimed, meeting Xyler’s eye in particular at this last, just as a shout indicated that their badger burgers were ready. “This time I’m going to have to ask you to show me which coin they'll want,” Nal admitted quietly to the Rohirrim as they approached. After making very apparent that he had no clue of the currency the last time.

[Pele Alarion]

Hadassa
@Rillewen , @Ercassie

"I almost walked into a badger, or he into me," Hadassa remarked, as she lifted the kitten up before her to take a proper look while they waited for their food. "It looked like the badger either did not see me or did not care, so I stood aside as it went on its merry way." After a pause, she decided: "I will call the kitten Bretta." Planting a kiss on the tiny pink kitten nose she hid the little fur ball back into the crook of her arm.

Then Hadassa gave Xyler a startled look and burst out into a merry laugh. "Why are you calling me ma'am? Do I look like some lady, or old, for the matter?" she giggled for a while longer, having never been regarded that way before. "I did sign up for the cavalry, even though was nearly killed on the spot as soon as I set foot in there."

"I have a couple horse stories, but why? Don't you have any horses in Mundburg that Eryn is thirsty for such stories? Or is it just that she doesn't have horses?" she asked, curious, regarding Nal with her dark eyes. But then again she had heard that Minas Tirith was all stone, so horses would have nowhere to stay if it was true.

Hungrily she snatched the badger burger when the food was finally ready for them. "My village is about two days' ride off, so I don't go there often, and now I have no one there either way... And what's all that with poisoning and ambushing? It should not have happened! No one ever tried poisoning me at least, though I have been chased off."

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie @Pele Alarion

Xyler

"Bretta sounds like a nice name," Xyler commented, nodding as he glanced at the kitten. "I wish you the best of luck in keeping her hidden," He added with a little grin, then looked slightly confused as Hadassa then laughed and asked him if she looked old. "No, of course not," He found it a little puzzling. "Well, I mean, I'm fairly certain you're older than I am, but.. not old." He wasn't entirely sure if that observation would be taken in the spirit it was intendned, and hastened to add, "I apologize if my words were offensive, it's just.. a habit I suppose.. 'yes ma'am,no ma'am', and the like. My grandmother, well..." He paused and shrugged. "Is it necessary for a woman to be old to be a ma'am? If so, I never knew that, I thought it was just.. being respectful." Perhaps it was all due to his grandmother being old fashioned, or some such thing. He had grown up far from large cities, and it seemed there was still quite a bit to learn.

Turning in surprise to Nal, Xyler's eyes widened slightly to hear of his past experiences with villages. "Poisoned? But, surely that's only a coincidence, that it happened in a village?" He wondered. "The same could happen in a large city, couldn't it?" Just after, Nal agreed that it could be just as dangerous in Minas Tirith. Xyler nodded. "Well, perhaps someday you can come and visit the little village where I grew up. I can't imagine anyone trying to poison you there." Picking up one of the burgers, he considered for a moment to determine how much the four of them would be, and how much he had brought with him. "You paid for us to have a turn at the tombola," He said to Nal, thoughtful, "so let me pay for our food." He decided, despite it being more than the turn at the game. "If I ever get the chance, I will certainly come to Minas Tirith and let you repay me," He grinned. Though, Nal's request to learn the proper coin had not gone unnoticed, so he held out the appropriate coin to show the Gondorian before passing it to the food vendor, and receiving back any change.

"Are you sure your friend isn't part Rohirrim?" Xyler joked, hearing Nal tell that the girl was so excited about horses. "Anyway, no, that wouldn't be a bother at all," He assured Nal with a grin. "I usually have very little to do after I'm finished at the infirmary. It would be nice to change that, for a day or two at least, however long you'll be here, if you like." He had, in fact, found the evenings rather boring after his work was finished for the day, and since he didn't really know anyone and had yet to find anyone in Edoras to hang out with. "I'd be interested in hearing more about Gondor. Perhaps we can swap stories or something?" There were more reasons than he told of that he would like to know more about Gondor.

"Why would the Cavalry nearly kill you on the spot?" He added, a moment later, as Hadassa's comment caught up with him. "Just for coming to sign up?" He found that a bit curious. He knew that they were formidible warriors and all that, but it didn't make sense for them to attack anyone, for no apparent reason. Which made him curious as to what reason there would be for such a reaction.

[Pele Alarion]

Hadassa
@Rillewen , @Ercassie

Her reaction to 'ma'am' had seemingly caused Xyler quite a bit of puzzlement, and Hadassa could not help but laugh good-naturedly some more at the look on his face. "I would say that only to old women and officials, I guess. And then... me is just me," she shrugged with a grin. "Do just call me Hadassa, and don't ma'am at me."

"Shouldn't I add a bit for the burgers?" Hadassa asked, as she looked on while Xyler paid for the food. "I still have quite a few coins left to be spent on this festival."

She bit off a morsel and savoured it contentedly, as she listened to the guys talking of their entertainment plans. "Mmm," she then joined back in, having swallowed the food. "You see, I have Dunlending blood and so the Cavalry thought I was an enemy. But I have grown up in a village here in the Mark, and am fully devoted. Not my fault that I sort of look like an enemy - took a while to convince them of this."

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

Melahny had been traveling rough the past several months. She’d gone through Mirkwood up to Lake-Town last fall, and spent much of the winter traveling through the Shire and Rivendell. In the late winter she started her trek home to Rohan. The land of the Horse Lords. She loved Rohan very much, but she also had restless feet. She needed to travel and explore the world. She loved the forests and meadows, the beautiful rolling hills and sandy ocean shores. Early spring Melahny had made her way through Fangorn forest and now she was back in Edoras. She’d been raised on a small farm in Edoras, her parents were horse breeders. They were gone now, but her “Uncle” Wulf was still around. He was a lifelong friend of her father’s, so while he wasn’t a blood relative she had always called him Uncle Wulf.

Melahny smiled when she came upon Edoras. She first went to Wulf’s house and they talked long into the evening, catching up with each other. He told her all about the horses that were being sold and shown at the Spring Festival, which was well under way. She washed up from her long travels and rested that night.

Wulf and Melahny went to enjoy the festival the next morning. She tied her light brown hair half-up in a loose bun and wore her usual leather breeches, but she donned a crisp white shirt her Uncle had given her, under leather outerwear. She carried her sword but kept her bow at Wulf’s for now, and they set off. She wished to buy a horse. It had been too difficult to bond with another horse after Beauty had passed a few years ago, so she had made her adventures on foot, occasionally catching a ride or borrowing a horse for a few weeks. Although no one could replace the kinship she had with Beauty, she was a Rohirrim, and she longed to ride again. She wished to buy a fine and sturdy horse that could travel long distances.

"Let us get some food, Mel, and then I can show you the horses I have in mind for your next journey," Uncle Wulf said, eyeing the roast piglet.

"Uncle, I can't think of food when there are such beautiful horses out in the field. It has been too long since I’ve ridden a proper Rohirrim mount," Melahny replied.

"Child, we have not yet eaten today!"

Melahny sighed and reluctantly agreed. "Very well, we shall fill our stomachs and then--"

"Yes, yes, the horses I know! I am to the roast piglet, you may go where you wish and I shall meet you in the fields," Wulf grumbled, along with his stomach.

Melahny laughed pleasantly, "It is a plan. And do not take too long with your feasting!"

But Wulf had already dashed out of sight behind a group of wild children running around the maypole. Melahny sat down on a bench after ordering some apple cider, roast vegetables, and leek and potato pie. Delicious!

Melahny looked about at different groups of people near the food benches. She asked the cider man if last harvest had treated him well, open to conversation with anyone but also content to sit and watch the goings-on. It was such a pleasant day for a festival!

[Dungeon Delver]

Showing up late was Athelstan’s thing. However, it was not due to some carefully crafted image of ease and nonchalance. Most of the time, the tall, lanky, floppy haired young man was simply running late. He would benefit from a strict schedule (and a few whacks of a wooden spoon on his forehead), but he was yet to find a job that provided a schedule like that. It occurred to him that in order to get a job that provided a schedule, he would need to be better with time management, something he hoped to learn from a job, which he needed in order to get a job, that he would… well it was a vicious circle that he hadn’t quite found a way through.

All of this is to say that, yes, Athelstan was late to the Spring Festival. In his defense, he was told by his friends (such as they were) that the festival was, in fact, taking place the day after tomorrow. He only happened on the festival now because he was going to go to the marketplace to find something special to wear. So, here he was, tall, lanky, hair mussed, and a chin with three days of cinnamon blonde hair, without anything special to wear. He was, thank Bema, at least bathed and the clothes he was wearing were clean. He hoped that he was not too late, now that he’d shown up. He’d missed out on more than a few gatherings because he simply arrived too late (famously he arrived at the Mettarë festival three hours after the entire day long event ended). He was elated, well maybe that was a little too dramatic a word, that he arrived with some time to spare.

He was spared the awkward standing around, waiting for someone else to show up to show him where food lines started and such which was quite fortuitous. He was famished. He had forgotten to eat this morning before running out to do his chores (because he woke up late), and his stomach was reminding him what a right git he was by growling incorrigibly and vociferously. A few of the people he was standing near as he came in looked askance at him as his stomach announced itself. “No, that was— I mean, well, it was, but not what you might…” he trailed off and looked at the ground. It was useless to explain. Both because he was clumsy with his words and they had already moved away from him, avoiding his proximity as if he’d just, well it was best not to say such things in public.

He was famished, and what’s more, he was thirsty. His morning work had given him a powerful thirst, and he was looking forward to something that was not, in fact, plain, tepid water. From the moment he realized the Spring Festival was afoot, his mind was set on one single thing: cider, the more alcoholic, the better. However, either because he was hungerblind (a term he came up with all on his own), or because his sense of direction was naturally a bit futz, he had no idea where any cider could be found.

Accordingly, he sat down on a bench and felt his bones and muscles, aching from his daily chores, relaxed, eliciting a great sigh of relief. “Ahhhh.”

It was then that he realized he’d sat down next to someone, an entire family actually (Melahny and Co). Red faced, Athelstan coughed his embarrassment. “Oh sorry, I didn’t see you there. I was a bit sidetracked. I’m Athelstan, by the way, I don’t think we’ve met?”

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

As the cider man finished telling Melahny about the bountiful harvest from that year, she noticed a young man ambling around with a growling stomach. She tried not to laugh, but really, it was a little comical. But only because he looked so lost and confused (probably the hunger), like a man stumbling into town from a desert. She quickly stopped herself from smirking. As a wanderer, Melahny knew how much going even a day or two without food and drink could disorientate a person. She decided he should try the cider since it was the best brew she'd tasted in a long while, and so refreshing! So, she ordered two more from the cider man as the young hungry man sat down.

He introduced himself and Melahny smiled, sliding over a cider to him, "Not to worry, my friend, have a cider, it'll get you feeling back on track in no time. Pleased to meet you, I'm Melahny."

She took a long swig and pushed her plate of leek and potato pie over as well. "Try some of this too, if you like. Are you from Rohan, Athelstan?" she inquired politely. After all, she had been away wandering Middle Earth for several years now, only coming back to her homeland for visits. She couldn't recognize everyone anymore, as there were surely many newcomers to Edoras.

[Dungeon Delver]

Despite wanting to grab the cider and gulp the entire thing down in a single swig, Athelstan took the proffered cup of deliciously sweet malum juice with measured deliberateness. The last thing he wanted to do was look like an oafish ten-year-old trying his best to embarrass his parents. His mother had smacked that kind of behavior out of him with the help of many a wooden spoon. Instead, he pulled the cup to his lips, inhaled the sweet smell and took a small sip. It was, indeed, the best cider he’d ever had. Who made this? Where could he find a few barrels full? Why didn’t he already know about this cider maker? All questions he was going to have to get to the bottom of before the day was over.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Melahny,” he said with a grin. He wiped the at his upper lip with a thumb and suddenly there was a plate of leek and potato pie sitting in front of him, appearing as if by magic! Well, magic in the sense that his newfound festival friend had slide it over to him. The smells that floated up from the pie were heavenly, absolutely heavenly, as if it had been made by industrious mice in an abbey. The food at festivals was always top notch and the Spring Festival was turning out to be even better than he could have every imagined. “Oh my goodness, thank you Melahny. You are so kind!” he grabbed a nearby fork and pulled away a piece of golden crust and potato dripping with gravy. He chomped down and closed his eyes, the best way to savor amazing food. “Oh, oh this is amazing. I don’t think there’s anything better than leek and potato pie, except maybe hot root soup, or apple turnovers, or…” he trailed off, his eyes darting back and forth hoping to make manifest his wild dreams.

Presently though, he swallowed the mouthful and sighed contentedly. “I am from Rohan!” he announced happily. “From right here in Edoras, in fact. My great-grandfather moved here from a small hamlet in the East Emnet with a dream of becoming the best horseshoe maker in the kingdom. And you? You have the look of a Rohir but I don’t think I’ve seen you around. Newly arrived?”

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

Melahny continued to sip her cider as Athelstan ate some of the pie. "You're quite welcome," she replied to his thanks. "I don't want to fill up before I get a chance to taste some of the deserts!"

She looked around as Athelstan was eating and saw a nearby stand offering lemon pudding. Yummmmm. She couldn't turn that down. She got up and bought some of the delicious lemony desert, then sat back down next to Athelstan. He told her he was indeed from Edoras!

"Excellent! No, I am from Edoras as well...but I've been a wanderer for many years. Last time I lived here, I was little more than a girl. I think I may be a few years older than you, so you must have been a young child when I left," Melahny replied. "Perhaps you know my Uncle Wulf though? He's a horse trainer. He's over there somewhere stuffing himself with food!"

Melahny laughed in good humour, as she spotted her white-haired uncle feasting alongside some friends of his. It was very comical to her, since Wulf normally kept himself to a very strict diet. She suspected festivals were the only times he allowed himself to eat as much as he liked. She took a bite of her lemon pudding and savored the taste. Hmmm...Uncle is right, she thought. Today is a time for feasting!

[Dungeon Delver]

Dessert!? Dessert! Of course there was going to be dessert! How on Bema’s green fields could Athelstan have forgotten that there was going to be dessert? Instead of jumping up immediately and setting his sights, well his smells more like, on the nearest sweet thing, he sat with utter, practiced calm and took another bite of the hearty potato and leek pie. The idea of dessert, however, was firmly planted in his mind. Even though he was no longer a child who longed for nothing but desserts all day and staying up all night to tell ghost stories, he suddenly found the taste of his food emptier, as if he were on the edge of shoveling it into his mouth to get at the sweets faster. No, no, he needed to be calm here. He’d just met someone new, someone he hadn’t known all his life who remembered just how adolescently sophomoric he could be. He breathed through another bite, focusing on the soft, creamy flavors of the potatoes and leeks. His sweet tooth subsided, but he knew it was only a momentary retreat.

When Melanhy mentioned being older than him, he looked at her with a more discerning look. She did look a bit older than him, but he had only reached his majority this past spring. She didn’t look as old as his two sisters, blonde twins nearing their thirties. They were already married and had children of their own. “Well if you left when I was a dibbun then you really must have been young when you left. Where did you go? The furthest I’ve ever been still had Edoras on the horizon. Have you seen Mirkwood? I hear it’s a place full of terrifying monsters like spiders and wolves and all sorts. Or maybe you’ve been to Minas, uh, what was it called, Mundburg, that great white city down south?” He curbed his enthusiasm, or tried, so as not to overwhelm to poor woman with inane and silly questions.

He looked at the white-haired man she called “Uncle Wulf” and squinted. He looked familiar. Maybe he was the man tried (and failed) to teach Athelstan to ride when he was younger? A sudden redness washed over Athelstan’s cheeks. Oh dear! “I, hmmm” he paused and took yet another bite of the pie and washed it down with a swig of the cider. “IthinkhetriedtoteachmehowtoridebutI’materriblehorseman.” he coughed rather pronouncedly.

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

As Melahny finished her lemon pudding, she looked up to see Athelstan peeking over at the dessert. Hmm... he must be a fan of pudding. Or he was just hungry as a horse like every young man! Melahny smiled inwardly. Well, the young Rohirrim men might annoyingly be able to shovel as much pie, pudding, and bread into their bellies as they liked, without weight gain, bloating, or even feeling uncomfortably full! But they were not as bad as Hobbits... She couldn't even remember how many meals an ordinary Hobbit had per day... was it seven meals... or maybe as much as ten with all the snacking? She wished she could keep up, as the food was always delicious in the Shire. Unfortunately though, she had to be fit enough to travel, fight, and light enough to ride a horse!

She pushed the now empty plate away as she listened to Athelstan's response and his questions. As he looked over at Wulf when she pointed him out, Athelstan coughed loudly and said something about riding lessons... and not being a good horseman. Wait... maybe she didn't hear that correctly. A Rohirrim not a decent rider? It made no sense. She didn't want to be rude so she just smiled and said, "Oh, I'm sure it can't be so bad as you think!"

She then did her best to answer his other questions, "Aye, I was but fifteen... and I've been a wanderer this past decade. I've been all over, actually. Gondor, Fangorn, Rivendell, The Shire... and yes, I have been to Mirkwood. It is indeed as you describe..." Melahny chuckled then leaned in to whisper, "And between you and me I'm terrified of spiders, so the experience was a nightmare."

She leaned back again and took a swig of cider. "As for Minas Tirith, I think you meant? Yes, I've been through there. I'm a trader by, well, trade. I make herbal medicines, teas; I make clothes, jewellery... I buy and sell trinkets and such. What's cheap in one part of the world can be twice as valuable in another."

[Dungeon Delver]

It was true, much to Athelstan’s great shame. He was a Rohir, perhaps the only Rohir in all the history of the world (and beyond) that had no idea how to ride a horse. It was a distinguishment that he could have gone without, given that he worked as a part of his great-grandfather’s horseshoe making business. He coughed again, trying to buy himself a few more moments. “Well, I’m, uh, I’m not very good at riding,” he said, stumbling over his words while concentrating very hard on the empty plate in front of him now as if willing it to suddenly become overflowing with lemon pie. When that failed, he continued, stuttering, “I didn’t manage to tie my saddle on properly and fell off the horse the first day, it didn’t get better from there. I think all the horses in Edoras know I’m terrible too. None of them will let me get near them unless it’s to shoe them.”

Thankfully though, the conversation moved on from his terrible equine skills, which was good because he didn’t want to tell her that he was quite sure “Uncle Wulf” had called him the worst prospect that ever sprang off the ground. She began to list places she’d been, and the young man’s head spun. He’d barely even heard of these places and she’d actually seen them. He felt envious. While travelling had never been high on his list of things to do, the freedom that travelling afforded someone (at least in his romantic notion) was something he longed for.

Spiders were the worst. He stared at her wide eyed. She’d actually encountered a giant spider in Mirkwood? A cold, uncomfortable chill ran up his spine. “Spiders are terrible, the absolute worst of the worst,” he told her in agreement. “I’ve never known anyone who liked them or thought they were useful. They’re creepy with all their eyes and legs and,” he shuddered. Who on earth could like spiders and think they were interesting? Weirdos, that’s who.

Again, Athelstan was thankful the conversation moved to different topics, spiders were better left in the dirt, smooshed preferably. “Minas Tirith! Yes, that’s what it’s called. There are a bunch of cities down there, right? Gondorians sure do love cities,” he said, taking a sip of his cider. There was no judgement in that statement, no, not at all.

“My mother told me once that she met a hedge witch that made medicines out of pond scum and flowers. Is that what herbal medicine is? Sorry I have so many questions. Most of the people I talk only talk about horses or farming, I don’t get the chance to talk about something different. What would you say is your favorite place? What sort of things do you like to buy and trade? Oh! I hear they have chocolate up north, is that true?”

[Rillewen]

@Pele Alarion

Xyler

Grinning, Xyler nodded in reply to Hadassa. "Alright then, Hadassa it is. Sorry about that." he felt slightly more relaxed, now that he needn't consider her some sort of authority or anything. Just an average person about his own age. From the sound of it, though, she was a member of the cavalry. And he'd always had the impression that such folks were very big on commanding respect from others. Not that he'd really known any cavalry folks, but he'd seen them around often enough.

"No, don't worry about it," He dismissed her concerns about adding something to help pay. "I've enough to spare." He assured her, then grinned. "Perhaps you can pay for the next thing we choose to do? If we do anything else, that is." He suggested with a shrug, before taking a bite of his burger. It was good and juicy, cooked just right. "Mmm," The Gondorians surely would not find the flavor offensive, he decided, but still waited to see how Unalmis would react to the first bite of his own burger.

The news which Hadassa declared then surprised Xyler quite a bit. He turned to look at her, quite caught off guard by the information she had given. Dunlending? He had certainly not expected that. "How is it that you came to live among the Rohir, then?" He wondered, amazed. "I don't think I would've guessed. But then I haven't got a lot of..experience, with Dunlendings." He added thoughtfully. "I suppose I can see it, now that you've said so. But I wouldn't consider you an enemy unless you acted like one, so you have nothing to fear in that regard." He smiled, glancing around as he let his steps wander leisurely toward the horse stalls, so they could bring the fourth burger to Unalmis' friend, Erynneth.

[Winddancer]

Æric and Edda

His eyes twitched and fluttered as Edda let out an earpiercing screech and ran, pulling from his hand. He would have called her back, if he knew it would work. He knew better. Instead he quickly looked around and hoped no ones eardrums had burst. Not seeing anyone writhing in agony he let out the breath he had been holding and watched as his daughter bolted towards the horses. One in particular to be prefectly clear. The one she had been learning how to ride on. Despite his concerns about the pitch of the screech, he couldn't help but smile as he saw Edda jump onto the fence in an acrobatic leap and hug her "best friend". She had spent half a day explaining how the two were now best friends.

The smile widened as he watched the horse accept the embrace, still recalling how terrified he had been to let her on to the monstrously huge horse. But even though it was huge, compared to his little girl, the horse never once hurt her or tried to throw her off. Instead it gently took the offered grass and dandelions that she had gathered on the way here.

His gut did involuntarily twinged as the horse nuzzled it's mule against her face, though her giggles made quick work of his fears. Resigning himself to letting her greet her "best friend" he made it to the table where they handed him a tankard of mead at his request. He got a cup of juice for Edda and headed over to a table with a free seat and a good view of the horses without having to crane his neck to keep an eye on her, content to watch the two bond.

"I am going to have to buy that horse, aren't I.." he muttered under his breath, going through his savings in his head and sighing.

[Rillewen]

Erynneth
Horse stall area

There were so many beautiful horses, Eryn was excited to see them all. She smiled to watch a cute little girl(Edda) run eagerly toward one of them and hug it, although she was a bit glad that the horses didn't get spooked by the squeal and running. Eryn thought back to when she was that little, and wondered if she had reacted that way. It hadn't really been the same then, for her mother had a horse and she'd taught Eryn to ride and the horse was always there when they wanted to go for a ride. And now, if she wanted to go for a ride, she could borrow Storm, but he was getting older and less inclined to race and go fast like Eryn enjoyed.

Moving down to another stall, Eryn stopped short, her breath catching as she caught sight of a beautiful white and yellow mare. "Oh..." She leaned against the fence, softly calling to see if she'd come over. To the girl's delight, the mare trotted over and nuzzled her nose against Eryn's outstretched hand. She giggled, petting the horse softly. "You're friendly, aren't you?" She smiled, laughing as the horse sniffed at her side through a gap in the fence. "Sorry, I haven't got anything for you," Eryn told her regretfully. "Perhaps I could get that apple off the maypole," She joked, lightly stroking the horse's neck. "You like apples?"

"She loves apples," a man spoke up from nearby. Turning, Eryn realized the Rohir man was probably her owner, and might have overheard all that. Slightly embarrassed, she smiled shyly. "Is she yours? She's beautiful."
"She is, until someone buys her," He smiled. "I call her Buterecuppe, like the flowers. She seems to like you." He mentioned. "Are you looking to buy a horse, miss?"
"Oh, I wish," Eryn sighed, turning back to rub around the horse's ears, trying to think of what flowers he was talking about, but the Rohirric word made it difficult to place. "I dare not even ask what price you ask. I know I haven't got that much, or I would gladly pay it." She added ruefully. "She is lovely, though, and I wish she were mine." Smiling, Eryn laughed as the horse bumped her head against Eryn's shoulder, and gave her a look as if she were just begging for apples or some other delicious treat.
"Perhaps you might ask mother or father?" He suggested. "Would you care to test her for a ride?"
Eryn turned back to look at him with slight surprise. "Could I?" She hesitated though, unsure she wanted to get that attached to a horse she knew she wouldn't be able to buy, but at the same time couldn't resist the offer to ride the beautiful horse.

[Pele Alarion]

@Rillewen , @Ercassie

Hadassa

"Ah, the next thing would be fine," Hadassa responded when Xyler refused to let her join in paying for the burgers. She dearly hoped that they would find some other thing to enjoy here, together, for it felt good to have found people who were friendly with her, and were about her own age too, or slightly younger.

She tried not to devour her burger right away, and raised her eyebrow questioningly at Unalmis to see whether he liked this food. At any rate, from the few morsels she had already managed to eat she judged the burger to be excellently prepared and worth the price. Her eyes then travelled to some other delicacies, of a sweeter kind, for a moment before returning to Xyler when he reacted to what she had disclosed of her origins.

"I am not sure if I would have ever come this far, but I was abandoned by my folk as a small babe, and an older couple of Rohir villagers took pity on me and took me in," she explained, standing tall and obviously proud of her acquired heritage. "They brought me up proper, and I would think of myself as a true Rohir if not for the people always being suspicious of me and reminding me that I did not really belong. Still... I thought defending this land would be a good way to return the favour for sparing my life and such." Hadassa's dark eyes shone proudly, and she was intent on making people realise she was not as her people of origin. "How could I do any harm to people whom I have grown up with and consider my own, right?" she asked, as she turned to follow Xyler towards horses in search of Eryn.

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

Melahny listened as Athelstan further commented on his poor riding ability. She nodded in understanding, then gave him a reassuring smile, "Well if you don't care for the experience of riding then I wouldn't worry about it... don't tell anyone I said this, mind you, but there is more to life than riding horses." Melahny chuckled. Not that most Rohirrim saw it that way. But, she was a woman of the world, she'd met many different peoples, and she knew interests varied from culture to culture, person to person.

As she continued to talk about her travels, she thought that Athelstan was amazed and genuinely interested. He asked a lot of questions. Melahny smiled as she answered them all patiently. He reminded Melahny of herself as a young child. She was always asking questions about the wider world, so longing to see beyond the beloved fields of Rohan.

"I quite agree," Melahny answered to his spider comments. "Spiders are horrid creatures, big or small." She shuddered and took another swig of cider.

Then Athelstan started asking her about herbal remedies and Melahny chuckled, "No, no. Not pond scum or any such foul thing. You see, most any ailment can be cured with the resources we have in nature. But you must know where to look, and how to use it. For instance, Kingsfoil is a common herb the Elves use in their healing processes..."

"And don't worry, I understand," she said in regard to his apology for the many questions. "I was the same way before I ever left Rohan. I wanted to know everything I could about the world, I wanted to hear all the tales and adventure stories! Hmm... I don't know if I have a favourite place, above all others. I suppose home, here in Edoras, holds a special place in my heart. But I also especially love the Shire, for it has woods and meadows, rivers, lovely trees and hills. It is so green... and so merry."

"I trade all sorts of things, and yes there is chocolate in some parts of the world, though it is dear." Melahny reached into her leather purse to show Athelstan a few of the trinkets she had for sale. "Here's a few small treasures of the sort I buy and sell." She pointed out some elven made pins, hair accessories, a gold dwarven bracelet, and some carved stone figures she'd picked up in Gondor. Last, she showed him a tiny, hobbit-sized embroidered handkerchief.

[Dungeon Delver]

Athelstan always thought the names of plants were funny things: Bluebells, kingsfoil, dandylions, evermind. They spoke of things whimsical and creative, two things that Athelstan himself seemed to lack. He would have never come up with the name “kingsfoil” or anything like that. He had no idea what the foil of a king might look like and didn’t have the imaginative muscles to create an approximation. Dandy lions? Forget it. Blue bells? Maybe. Evermind? Absolutely not. No, Athelstan’s mind was not geared at all toward things creative, whimsical or ethereal. He found he was much better at spending his time doing work, or at least finding ways to avoid work. His mother told him he was the most creative coal-biter that she’d ever met. That had to mean something, right? Nevertheless, he was fascinated by plants and flowers and herbs all the things they did. How could plants do so many different things? They performed so many different functions, from medicine to architecture to food.

A thought began forming in Athelstan’s mind.

“You are quite kind,” he said a bit sheepishly. “My mother and father were not happy when it turned out I had the coordination of a three winged bumblebee. They were concerned for the family business mostly though I think. What would it look like if the best horseshoe making in Rohan couldn’t so much as ride a pony down the alleyway? My twin sisters are good enough though so I think it sort cancels itself out.

“I much prefer riding in wagons when I can; especially those huge, covered wagons that are as big as houses? Ah, I saw one once rolling along the east road. Did you live in something like that when you were on the road?”

She brought out a few of the wares she’d talked about before and Athelstan’s mouth flopped open. The dwarven finery was boxy and geometric, lovely and strong; the elven bits were all flowing lines and elegant curves, Athelstan could see why such things were so sought after; the stone figurines from Gondor reminded him of a game he’d seen people playing, maybe they were part of a set? He’d only heard rumors of hobbits, but looking at the handkerchief and its delicate design, he knew all the rumors had to be true. “Wow!” was all he could say. Melahny had a veritable treasure trove, things rare and wonderful and likely priceless. He was almost afraid to touch them for fear of ruining their beauty.

“I think I’d like some more cider,” he announced, the idea forming further in his head. It would require more things to drink though. What if, what if he could travel and see the world too? What if he could go to places like Minas Tirith and Mirkwood and old Framsburg?

However, as he stood up, the worst that could have occurred, did. Athelstan was a clumsy youth, so much so that his mother often called him a walking disaster. He’d managed to avoid an incident today, sitting down and all, but as soon as he stood up, his feet tangled together and the youth went sprawling, right into the table. He knocked his elbows on the side, tipping the entire thing over with unintentional gusto. He could only look on in slow motion horror as he watched plates and cups and myriad other items become airborne.

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

Melahny nodded as Athelstan spoke of his family and wagons. She had rarely seen wagons as large as he was talking about, but she knew what he meant. She replied, "No, alas, I was on foot or horseback most of the time."

As she showcased the jewels and trinkets to Athelstan she noted how his eyes widened in wonder. She laughed pleasantly when he said wow! They were fairly commonplace objects, however, she knew how exotic they must look to a Rohir who'd never left the plains. Oddly, she felt like a travelling merchant again, even though she was at home. It was strange to leave as one thing and come back another.

After Athelstan looked over the wares, Melahny folded the small leather packet and returned it to her purse. Athelstan rose to get more cider, but as he did he seemed to trip on his own feet. Melahny only had a second to stand and quickly hop out of the way, before he fell face-first into the table! She reached out to catch his arm, but it was too late. He had already knocked over the entire table, scattering goblets and plates everywhere.

Melahny rushed forward immediately, and offered him her hand. "Are you all right?!"

[Winddancer]

Using the wooden fence Edda climbed to the second plank as she gently directed the horse to move sideways and holding a fistful of it's mane she clampered up onto the last plank and scrambled onto the horse. With a few grunts and adjustments she was seated, looking like she had conquered a kingdom. Beaming like the sun, she waved to both her father and to the owner of the horse who had been paid in advance for allowing her to ride the horse.

It never grew old. Every single time he saw his daughter beam like that his heart felt like it would burst. As if it was not big enough to contain all the love he felt for her. He could still not wrap his mind around how and why her mother could leave such a darling girl. She was so loving, kind and good-spirited and her mother would never know. What had he done to deserve such a lovely girl?

Smiling along with her, he took a sip of his mead and almost choked on it as the commotion of the table next to him flipped and sent everything scattering. Swallowing his sip with coughs and splutters, he half rose to go and help when he saw that the unfortunate young man already had someone rushing to his aid.

Torn between watching his daughter as she lead the horse around the enclosed coral while laughing merrily and needing to know if the young man was harmed had him hover over his seat while his head swiveled back and forth between the two.

[Dungeon Delver]

One might imagine a lifetime, well eighteen years of a lifetime, spent being clumsy and derpy and having two and a half left feet would make Athelstan more used to such embarrassing episodes and not feel the sharp sting of a blush across his squarish and maybe handsome face. However, if one did imagine that and assume that poor Athelstan did not feel shame and indignity at such an occurrence, one would be very wrong.

Athelstan, arms and legs all a twiddle, wished he could melt into the ground and disappear.

It had been weeks since he’d done something so clumsy. There had been no milk cartons accidently kicked over, no flowerpots knocked off windowsills, and no horses left unstabled and running about.

Surely too, his mother had already heard about the incident and planned on punishing him accordingly. She had eagle eyes and spies everywhere, so Athelstan assumed.

“Oh bother, confusticate, and bewilder!” he shouted (Note this not what he said but since there are innocent ears about the festival it is perhaps best to censor the rather colorful metaphors he shouted).

Here he was, doing his level best to make a good impression on someone new, someone who did not know all about his perplexing habit of being a walking disaster, and his own equilibrium betrayed him. Apparently, it was to be known far and wide, from the Minas Tirith to Mirkwood, that he would be forever known as Athelstan the Bungler.

He accepted Melahny’s hand and pulled himself up. He nodded and grumbled before finally saying “Thank you, I’m well I’m a bit of a klutz. As you can see.”

He surveyed the damage, and it was rather comprehensive. The table did not bear his weight very well and looked to be broken beyond hope of a quite repair. He rubbed his nose reflexively and winced, suddenly realized that his nose was quite swollen and bloody.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no!”

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

As she pulled Athelstan to his feet, he apologised and seemed quite embarrassed. Melahny was still holding her cider in her other hand. Huh. Somehow she'd managed to hang onto her drink whilst avoiding the disaster. Must be years on the road, Melahny thought to herself. Travelling alone made one develop quick reflexes.

Melahny emptied the cider mug, and started to say, "Don't worry about it--" when Athelstan touched his face and starting shouting "oh no!" She looked up and saw his nose was bleeding, perhaps it was broken.

"Oh, you'll be okay, just sit down for a minute. I'll take a look at it," Melahny used the soothing voice she automatically adopted when treating an injured animal... she mainly had experience healing horses, but men couldn't be that much different, right? I mean, we all have blood and bone, she thought.

"Uncle Wulf!' She shouted across the yard to where he was standing. "Can I get your assistance here?"

Wulf clearly had seen what had happened, as she grabbed some cloths and trotted over with a couple of men trailing behind him to spectate.

She pulled out a hanky and placed it on Athelstan's face. "Sit tight," she said. "If it is broken, my Uncle can snap it back into place, no problem!"

[Dungeon Delver]

Athelstan had never broken his nose before. Even with all his bumbling, tripping, and general clumsiness he had managed to not break any bones or cause any lasting bodily damage. The pain springing up like an artesian well was almost more than he could bear. How he’d managed to not notice the blinding pain and the blood for a whole fifteen seconds was beyond him. The body was capable of refusing to acknowledge things when it didn’t want to he supposed.

Not that any of this was of a help to him now!

Tears welled up in his eyes and clouded his view. If he had not been holding onto Melahny for dear life (he was going to owe her a great deal after all this) he would have tumbled back into the heap of broken table and probably get speared by a shaft of wood sticking out at just the right (wrong) angle. Fiddlefaddle! Just when he thought his luck was going to turn for the better it took a nose dive off the highest cliff it could find.

Another face appeared in front of him, though his vision was so blurred that it could have been the king or his mother and he’d have no way of knowing. Oh. Oh no! What if it was the king? Oh no! Here he was bleeding all over everything in front of his king and making himself the biggest embarrassment of all time. This was the worst. The worst! Surely it was the king. Right? Oh, but what if it wasn’t? What if, oh no, what if it was his mother? He winced reflexively, sending a new wave of pain shivering up his nasal shaft.

“Oh, I’m thowwy yo’ majes’tea. I didunt mea’ to mak thutch a fush.” He tried to bow or curtsey or something, but lost his balance again. If he had not been holding onto to Melahny so tightly he would have skittered off sprawling into another pile.

He regained some equilibrium though, and his vision cleared a little. It was not the king. Well, there was that at least. He was sure the man, oh it was Wulf, the man that tried to teach him how to ride a horse once upon a time, would have something to laugh about for the rest of his days.

“Thowwy I go blud everywherah, I don’ uthually make thutch a mesch.”

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

Wulf & Melahny

Wulf trotted over and poked his white-bearded face close to Athelstan's to examine him. Melahny thought Athelstan looked pretty out of it, the poor man. He hung onto Melahny's arm as she sat him down on the bench beside the fallen one, and he continued to clutch her arm as she held the hanky to his nose. Athelstan was speaking some kind of gibberish; Melahny couldn't understand a word of it, so she simply kept patting him on the back and telling him it would be okay.

Wulf seemed to understand something of what Athelstan said, because he kindly told Athelstan, "Don't be sorry lad, I've seen many a horse come into this world--this little splotch of blood is nothing. Looks worse than it is."

Wulf then looked over at Melahny and said quietly, "It's broken all right. I'm going to put it back in place, but help me clean up the blood will ya, Mel? So my hand doesn't slip."

"Of course," Melahny grabbed another hanky, soaked it in an alcoholic beverage, and wiped away most of the blood on Athelstan's face. There was a bit of a crowd gathering around now, so Melahny asked if everyone could clear out of the way.

"Yes, give the lad room to breath here!" Wulf shouted at the people around, and most of them went about their business. Wulf's two friends lingered though, offering suggestions that Wulf ignored.

"All right, count to three Mel and I'll snap it straight," Wulf told her.

Melahny nodded, knowing he would probably do it on "two." It was what he'd always done for her childhood injuries. She stood up and gripped each of Athelstan's shoulders with her arms. "Sit still now. Ready? One, two, thr--"

As predicted, before she even said "three," Wulf thrust the bone back in place with a crunch, which Melahny heard clearly as she was so close.

"Should heal normally," Wulf said with satisfaction.

[Dungeon Delver]

”Sweet mother of the mountains!” Athelstan thought the big man would have waited until he finished saying the word “three” before unbreaking (or rebreaking) his nose and was unprepared for the wave of silver pain that shot through him. Then, as quickly as it came, the pain began to subside. There was still a throbbing ache that made his feel like his nose weighed an extra three pounds.

He'd howled, yowled, roared, and screeched well enough that any scop or gleeman that overheard him might think he was as storyteller’s apprentice practicing his animal noise.

Eventually though, his heart rate slowed, and Athelstan could feel the temperature of the fire in his blood cool and numb. The young Rohir could still taste something coppery in the back of his throat, but once he found something to drink that would blessedly be washed away. His clothes would be another story. Though Melahny had been able to clean most of the blood off his face, his shirt was stained with deep crimson. He would have to think about how to explain that, perhaps something to do with a wandering strawberry merchant or a raspberry eating contest.

“Thank you,” he said with no small amount of sheepishness. “I should be able to say I’m a better rider, but I think I might be worse at walking and breathing at the same time.” He laughed self-depreciatively and rubbed at his nose. He regretted it instantly and winced. Thankfully, though, he didn’t overreact and tumble backwards. He’d made enough of an ass of himself today, thank you very much!

“Oh no!” He looked at the ruin of the table beside him and looked frantically for the treasures that Melahny had shown him. “Oh no!” he said again. “What happened to all the stuff you were showing me? Oh dear, I’ve made a mess of things. Please, please forgive me!”

He tried to stand, to do what he didn’t exactly know, and all the blood rushed back to his head, and he sat back down hard with a dizzy spell. “Hmmm, that’s a bad idea. I hope I haven’t broken anything, well broken anything of yours. I didn’t hit you, did I?” another wave of panic, “I’m so sorry. I’m not always so clumsy. Well, not ‘not always’ but not always and...” he trailed off, having completely lost his train of thought. He coughed and recomposed himself.

“Can I try and get us some refills? Melahny? Wulf?”

[Melahny_oftheWoods]

Melahny cringed when Athelstan yowled in pain. Thankfully, he seemed to come around after a few minutes. In fact, Melahny thought he was more embarrassed than anything.

Wulf smiled at Athelstan. "Bah! It's not a thing to worry over, lad. I've seen worse accidents, especially after a few ales!"

As Athelstan looked around at the wreckage and apologized, Melahny reassured him, "Oh, don't worry about that. I tucked away my trinkets before you fell." When he tried to stand, Melahny patted him on the shoulder and told him, "You should sit and relax! You must be feeling light-headed. Rest awhile before you exert yourself again. And no, you didn't hit anyone... er, except yourself, of course."

Wulf and Melahny perched themselves on the bench next to Athelstan, as he offered them drinks. Wulf said, "Ah, if you want to buy us a round, it's up to you, young man. Just try not to walk around too much until you're feeling more... balanced."

"Actually, it's funny, I still had my tankard of cider in my hand after I dodged the collision!" Melahny said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Ha ha! That's the spirit, Mel!" Wulf laughed. "One should never waste good drink!"

[Winddancer]

Æric

It quickly became clear that the chaos was well and good in hand and that he would not be needed. Breathing a sigh of relief, he grabbed his mead and Edda's juice and slipped away from the table. From the crowd already gathering it was better that he did not add to it. Heading over to the fence, he placed on foot on the lower plank of the fence and leaned in, watching as his young daughter elegantly guided the horse around the corral. As much as he wanted to, he could not deny that she was a natural.

"I am gonna have to give you a price, aren't I?" There was a smile in Jorgen's voice as he sidled up and stopped near Æric. Leaning back against the fence from the inside, the owner turned his head back to watch Edda as she waved with a huge smile.

"I am afraid so.." Æric said with a soft sigh, but still smiled and waved back.

"I tell you what.." Jorgen said as he scratched the nose of a nosey horse that had come over to check them out. "I have a barn that needs building.. perhaps we could find some way to tra-"

"Deal!" Æric happily exclaimed. "I mean, I will do the horse's worth in work, gladly!"

"Wonderful! Though you might need to build two barns.." Jorgen said with a cheeky wink as he headed over to a young couple looking at another one of his horses, Æric's mouth slowly dropping as it dawned on him that he now had to stable a horse.

[Dungeon Delver]

He had no idea why, likely it was something about the pain that was still bounding through his nose at semi-regular intervals, but the idea of being balanced, as Wulf put it, was incredibly funny. Had he not just had his life flash before his eyes, Athelstan would likely have found nothing amusing in the statement, he would have probably found wisdom and good sense, as the man was clearly trying to portray, but Athelstan was in a state of semi-deliriousness and thus much of his common sense bounced around his head like a happy rainbow spirit.

He giggled. Athelstan was not a young man prone to giggling. He tried to be a very serious young man that, should he laugh, laughed with a chuckle or an occasion guffaw. A giggle though, a giggle was something undignified. Perhaps then, for the supremely uncoordinated youth, a giggle was appropriate at the time.

Melahny was quite right however, he did feel quite lightheaded. Not only did he still see stars occasionally flitter across his vision and blind him a bit, but his head felt wobbly, like an egg atop a saddle.

“Well,” he said after a moment spend owlishly blinking the stars out of his vision, “you’re prob, probably wight, uh, right. I think I’ve had enough to drink for, for a while. Already feel like I drank a full barrel of Old Éadlida famous cordial. I only got to have a taste of that once before she died. Did you ever get to have any?” he trailed off and looked around at the festival. Thankfully it seemed that his mishap had not put the entire place on notice, everyone for the most part seemed to be going about their own business. Surely Athelstan could not have been the only one to trip over a table and cause a fuss today.

He cleared his throat. “Thank you both, for, for the help. I’m very good at shoeing horses and weaving wicker with my mum, but I’m too much of a klutz to do much else, so they tell me. Are, are you going to be staying in Edoras long, Miss, er, Missus, uh, Melahny? Any plans on going back out to the Shire or Dale or some such place?”